Washington
11 June 2008
The Pentagon is defending a deadly air strike on the Pakistan-Afghan border that killed 11 Pakistani soldiers and drew strong protests from the government in Islamabad. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Washington.
The Pentagon spokesman declined to confirm that Pakistani soldiers were killed in the attack.
However at the U.S. State Department acting spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos released a statement.
"This is a regrettable incident. We are sad to see the loss of life among the Pakistani military, who are partners in fighting terror. This is a reminder that better cross-border communications between forces is vital," he said.
While details of the incident remain unclear, the Pentagon says the attack was coordinated with Pakistani forces.
A statement released by U.S. military officials in Afghanistan says an unmanned aircraft was used to maintain positive identification of the enemy firing at coalition troops.
The Pakistani army says the bombs hit a post of the paramilitary Frontier Corps.
The air strike has upset the already fragile relations between Washington and Islamabad over how to stem violence and fight terrorists in the region that is inside Pakistan but outside the law.
Pentagon spokesman Morrell says cooperation between the two countries remains critical.
"We, as I have said before, have a shared, vital interest in making sure that militants, terrorists, insurgents, others operating in these Federally Administered Tribal Areas do not have the means to mount attacks against the Pakistani government or any other government for that matter," he said.
The incident has inflamed anti-U.S. sentiment inside Pakistan, where a new government is trying to reach out to tribal leaders in the border region to negotiate a peace deal.
U.S. officials have expressed skepticism about the plan, and there have been repeated questions about Pakistan's commitment and ability to battle terrorists known to be hiding in the mountainous terrain.